This invention relates to an information processing method and apparatus and to an information furnishing medium. More particularly, it relates to such an information processing method and apparatus and to an information furnishing medium in which conceptual elements are extracted from the input information, the user""s intention in inputting the information is construed and the information is managed in agreement with the construed user""s intention to enable information management more easily and promptly.
The PIM (personal information manager) for supervising the personal information, such as schedule or the address records, may be exemplified by electronic notebooks and PDA (personal digital assistant). There are also occasions wherein the PIM constituted by the software is executed and used on a personal computer. In the present description, these are collectively termed the personal information management devices.
In the personal information management device, having the PIM functions, the functions are generally classified depending on the managed information. For example, if the addresses are inputted, a user starts the address record function of the personal information management device to register the addresses therein.
However, in the information the user desires to register, there is such information that cannot be classified definitely, such as memo records. Since the conventional personal information management device lacks in the functions of automatically classify and sorting the contents for management, it is up to the user to classify or put into order the contents to then register the memo in the associated management device function in the personal information management, which means a serious burden on the user.
It may be contemplated to hold the memo as such and to record it as speech in a sound recording device, such as a tape recorder. However, if, in this case, the information becomes voluminous, it becomes difficult to search the necessary information from the voluminous information.
In view of the above-described status of the art, the present invention provides an information processing method and apparatus and an information furnishing medium in which the information can be managed more easily and promptly.
In the present invention, the conceptual elements are extracted from the input information, the user""s intention in inputting the information is construed in agreement with the extracted conceptual elements and pre-set processing is executed on the information in keeping with the construed user""s intention.
In one aspect, the present invention provides an information processing device including inputting means for inputting the information, extraction means for extracting conceptual elements from the information inputted from the inputting means, interpreting means for interpreting the user""s input intention of the information in association with the conceptual elements extracted by the extracting means, and executing means for executing pre-set processing on the information in association with the input intention as interpreted by the interpreting means.
In another aspect, the present invention provides an information processing method including an inputting step for inputting the information, an extracting step for extracting conceptual elements from the information inputted in the inputting step, an interpreting step for interpreting the user""s input intention in association with the conceptual elements extracted in the extracting step, and an executing step for executing pre-set processing on the information in association with the input intention construed in the interpreting step.
In yet another aspect, the present invention provides an information furnishing medium for furnishing a computer-readable program adapted for causing an information processing device to execute the processing which includes an inputting step for inputting the information, an extracting step for extracting conceptual elements from the information inputted in the inputting step, an interpreting step for interpreting the user""s input intention in association with the conceptual elements extracted in the extracting step, and an executing step for executing pre-set processing on the information in association with the input intention construed in the interpreting step.